AUDI A4 · model year

2010 AUDI A4

77 NHTSA complaints for this specific cohort.

NHTSA overall rating

Not crash-tested

New Car Assessment Program

The 2010AUDIA4 carries 77 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 0 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 fatalities. No NCAP 5-star crash-test rating is available for this model year in the federal database.

Component-level analysis is where model-year complaints become actionable: the top complaint category for the 2010 A4 is engine with 37 filings, followed by power train (6) and engine and engine cooling (5). Concentration in one or two component groups is the classic signature of a systemic defect; a flat distribution usually reflects normal aging, warranty complaints, or isolated build-plant variability.

NHTSA currently has 9 investigation files overlapping the 2010 A4. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should pair the counters above with the complaint-by-year trend on the parent model page — a spike in a single year often tracks to a platform refresh, a new transmission supplier, or an updated ECU calibration. Use the related-complaint feed below to read raw owner narratives before deciding whether any pattern here affects your specific use case.

77
Complaints
0
Crashes
0
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths

Total Complaints

77 filings

Crashes Reported

0 reports

Source

NHTSA ODI

Federal complaints database

Complaints vs. fleet median (215)

At or below the fleet median complaint volume.

Complaints by Component

ComponentCount
ENGINE37
POWER TRAIN6
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING5
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM4
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION3
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL3
STEERING3
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE2
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:COOLING SYSTEM2
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE2
EXTERIOR LIGHTING2
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM2
VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD WIPER/WASHER1
UNKNOWN OR OTHER1
AIR BAGS1

Recent Complaints

20230816ENGINE

This audi doesn’t have a dip stick that comes with the car. It burns 1-2 quarts of oil a month and doesn’t indicate when your car is low on oil. It’s a guessing game when the engine says put a quart of oil in and I needed 2 and a half quarts to be full. It’s such a saftey hazard I’m surprised audi hasn’t recalled this engine. I spent over $1000 to have everything resealed and fixed because it just ceased one day due to not having enough oil

20230708ENGINE

No oil dip stick. The engine sucks a qt of oil every 2 weeks without leaks and due to the lack oem dip stick not in if you overfill your oil you’ll get bad spark plugs.

20230320SERVICE BRAKES

My parking brake keeps setting itself and then locking in place and it will not unlock now my gear shift will not shift I have no idea what's going on and it keeps happening and then it'll stop and it'll happen again it's going to cause an accident and it burns up oil like crazy I'm going through so much oil it's not even funny

20230320ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

My parking brake keeps setting itself and then locking in place and it will not unlock now my gear shift will not shift I have no idea what's going on and it keeps happening and then it'll stop and it'll happen again it's going to cause an accident and it burns up oil like crazy I'm going through so much oil it's not even funny

20230320FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING

My parking brake keeps setting itself and then locking in place and it will not unlock now my gear shift will not shift I have no idea what's going on and it keeps happening and then it'll stop and it'll happen again it's going to cause an accident and it burns up oil like crazy I'm going through so much oil it's not even funny

20220723ENGINE

Drains so much oil for only A car that takes 4.9L of oil. It’s unreal which causes so many other issues

20220401ENGINE

Engine Excessive oil consumption burning oil then suddenly found out there is no oil in the engine that causes for blow the engine while driving if you don't add oil it's common problem for this car ; asking for solve the issue

20211013ENGINE

The contact owns a 2010 Audi A4. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled without warning. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer who determined that the timing chain tensioner needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who informed the contact that there was low compression in the engine. The manufacturer was notified however, no further assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.

Mileage: 100,000

20210907STEERING

I have current issue with my Audi A4 steering rack where im driving it randomly it pull up one side or the other i have looked up that issues with the Audi A4 and alot of people are having steering rack failed where there’s space in the steering where it causes play and possible clicking noise and uneven drive Alot of people have that issues with the electrical steering and for some reason audi never recalled it even tho it’s happening rn to alot of people including me

20201129ENGINE

I BOUGHT THIS VEHICLE WITH A GOOD PRICE. THE CAR ITSELF RUNS PRETTY GOOD BUT HAVE FOUND OUT THAT IT BURNS OIL AND IT IS FACTORY PROBLEM. I HAVE DONE SOME RESEARCH AND IT AUDI HAS THIS KIND OF PROBLEM. HIGH OIL CONSUMPTION IT CONSUMES 1 QT EVERY 200 MILES.

Mileage: 86,000

20200901ENGINE

I DON'T WHY AUDI HASN'T RECALL THE 2010 AUDI A4 MY CAR WILL NOT HOLD OIL HAD THREE REAR MAIN SEALS PUT IN. EACH TIME THEY REPLACED SEAL IT WAS $1200. JUST HAD OIL CHANGE AND A WEEK LATER NEEDED TO PUT FOUR QUARTS OF OIL IN CAR. AUDI KNOWS ABOUT THIS PROBLEM BUT WON'T RECALL THIS CAR. I HAD A FRIEND TAKE HIS CAR TO AUDI AND THEY REPLACED THE ENGINE FOR FREE.

Mileage: 115,000

20200430SUSPENSION

THE COIL SPRINGS BROKE ON THIS VEHICLE ON 2 SEPARATE OCCASIONS. THE LEFT FRONT COIL SPRING BROKE WHILE IT WAS BEING DRIVEN BY MY HUSBAND ON 7/24/19. THE LEFT REAR COIL SPRING BROKE WHILE I WAS TURNING OUT OF MY DRIVEWAY ON 4/21/20. THE VEHICLE HAS OVER 81,000 MILES, BUT IS IN VERY GOOD CONDITION. I AM CAREFUL TO AVOID POT HOLES WHILE DRIVING, SO I DON'T BELIEVE THE CAUSE IS DUE TO MY DRIVING HABITS. THE PHOTO I HAVE PROVIDED SHOWS THE BREAK IS NOT DUE TO RUST. THIS HAS NEVER HAPPENED WITH ANY VEHICLE THAT I HAVE DRIVEN IN THE 50+ YEARS I HAVE BEEN DRIVING . MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT A BROKEN COIL SPRING IS VERY DANGEROUS AND CAN CAUSE AN ACCIDENT PARTICULARLY IF IT PUNCTURES A TIRE WHILE DRIVING. MY SUSPICION IS THAT THE COIL SPRINGS ARE DEFECTIVE GIVEN THAT THE BREAKS OCCURRED WITH 2 DIFFERENT COIL SPRINGS. SINCE THIS HAS HAPPENED TWICE, I CHOSE TO REPLACE ALL THE COIL SPRINGS IN THE CAR BECAUSE I FEAR FOR MY SAFETY. I UNDERSTAND THAT VOLKSWAGON, OF WHICH AUDI IS A PART OF, REC

Mileage: 81,500

20200218ENGINE

I WAS DRIVING MY CAR FROM WORK ON A CITY STREET I HEARD THAT IT WAS KNOCKING AND HAD STOPPED THE CAR TO CHECK ON IT BUT WAS NOT SURE SINCE I AM FIGURING THIS CAR OUT. AFTER THAT DAY IT HAD BEEN KNOCKING. A FEW DAYS LATER IT HAD STARTING TO SHAKE WHILE I WAS DRIVING AND ALL THIS HAPPENED ON A CITY STREET. BUT ANYWAYS WHEN I ACCELERATED TO A CERTAIN NUMBER, THE SHAKING STOPPED BUT WAS STILL KNOCKING. AND AFTER TIME IT JUST GOT WORSE AND WAS UNSAFE TO DRIVE.

Mileage: 92,290

20200110ENGINE

MY CAR USES A LOT OF OIL AND BLOWS CLOUDS OF OIL GOING UP HILLS. AUDI WANTS TO PUT A NEW ENGINE IN FOR $7K BECAUSE MY CAR IS OUT OF WARRANTY AND REFUSES TO DO IT FOR FREE. I DON'T UNDERSTAND HOW AUDI COULD DO THIS AND GET AWAY WITH IT. NEVER BUYING AN AUDI AGAIN.

Mileage: 89,000

20191109ENGINE

AUDI KNOWS ABOUT THIS OIL CONSUMPTION ISSUE MY CAR IS ONE OF THE THOUSANDS OF AFFECTED ONE IT'S REQUIRE MORE OIL JUST AFTER 300 MILES AND AUDI WON'T FIX IT ASKING FOR 6K TO 7K TO FIX THE ENGINE I BARELY HAVE 110K MILES ON THE CAR. AUDI NEED TO RECALL THEIR AND FIX IT FOR FREE

Mileage: 109,270

20191010ENGINE

I WAS DRIVING TO WORK AND AS I SLOW DOWN TO PARK I HEARD AND FELT A POP IN THE ENGINE. LUCKILY I WAS ABLE TO USE THE MOMENTUM OF THE CAR TO PARK. THE ENGINE WOULD NOT TURN BACK ON. AFTER WORK I WENT BACK AND THE CAR WOULD NOT TURN ON. THE ENGINE WOULD JUST CLANK REALLY LOUD. I HAD IT TOWED HOME AND THE NEXT DAY I CALLED THE MECHANIC. I THEN TOWED THE CAR ABOUT A WEEK LATER TO THE MECHANIC FOR HIM TO CHECK IT OUT. AFTER A FEW DAYS HE SAID THAT THE ENGINE CHAIN TENSIONERS BROKE AND CAUSED CATASTROPHIC DAMAGE TO THE ENGINE. THE REPAIRS WOULD COST $4800 AND OR WE CAN PUT A NEW ENGINE FOR $6300.

Mileage: 114,000

20190906ENGINE

CAR WAISTES TOO MUCH OIL, I HAVE TO CONTINUALLY CHANGE AND ADD NEW OIL APPROXIMATELY EVERY 15 DAYS OR LESS. I BOUGHT THE CAR APPROXIMATELY 3 MONTHS AGO FROM A FRIEND AND UP UNTIL 2 MONTHS AGO THE CAR SHOWED NO ISSUES. UP UNTIL ENDS OF JULY WHEN MY WIFE WAS DRIVING THE CAR BACK HOME FROM WORK AND THE CAR ALMOST OVERHEATED... I HAD CHANGED THE OIL 6 DAYS BEFORE. I TOOK THE CAR TO TWO DIFFERENT MECHANICS AND BOTH HAD THE SAME DIAGNOSTIC, BOTH STATED IT WAS A FACTORY ISSUE.

20190807ENGINE

CAR SUFFERED FROM CATASTROPHIC ENGINE FAILURE DUE TO KNOWN TIMING CHAIN ISSUES WITH THESE VEHICLES. THERE IS CURRENTLY A CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT REGARDING THIS ISSUE. HTTPS://TIMINGCHAINLITIGATION.COM/

Mileage: 79,000

20190807POWER TRAIN

CAR SUFFERED FROM CATASTROPHIC ENGINE FAILURE DUE TO KNOWN TIMING CHAIN ISSUES WITH THESE VEHICLES. THERE IS CURRENTLY A CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT REGARDING THIS ISSUE. HTTPS://TIMINGCHAINLITIGATION.COM/

Mileage: 79,000

20190731AIR BAGS

"TAKATA RECALL" THE PASSENGER SIDE AIRBAG KEEPS BEEPING AND THINKING WE HAVE A PASSENGER IN THE CAR WHILE DRIVING. I HAVE TO BUCKLE THE EMPTY SEAT BELT TO MAKE THE AIRBAG WARNING BEEPS AND LIGHT STOP.

Mileage: 10

Compare 2010AUDIA4 to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations

View all investigations

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 2010 AUDI A4 have?
The 2010 AUDI A4 has 77 NHTSA complaints, 0 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 2010 AUDI A4?
The most-complained component for the 2010 AUDI A4 is ENGINE with 37 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include POWER TRAIN and ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING.
Is the 2010 AUDI A4 safe to buy?
Review the complaint history, crash and fire reports, safety ratings, and recall status on this page to make an informed decision. No NHTSA crash test rating is available for this model year. Compare with other model years using the links above.
Where does this data come from?
All complaint, recall, and safety rating data is sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaints are filed by vehicle owners through NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation.

Vehicle Safety Guides

Data as of 2025. Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) complaints database, NHTSA recall campaign API, NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings, and NHTSA FARS for fatality cross-reference.